Guide
How to Dismantle an Ottoman Bed Safely: Tools, Gas Struts and Steps
To dismantle an ottoman bed, empty the storage, take the mattress off without letting the lift frame spring open, then undo the bed in the reverse order of its assembly: lift frame off the gas lift mechanisms, mechanisms off the side rails, then the headboard and the base panels. Plan on two people, Allen keys and a spanner, because the gas lift is bolted to the bed, not clipped.
Before writing this guide we read the ottoman bed assembly manuals published by five UK bed makers and retailers. Where they agree, we say so. Where none of them covers a point, we say that too rather than guess.
Do you need to take an ottoman bed apart?
Not always. Within the same room, two people can lift and carry the bed with it closed. To take it to another room, down a staircase or into a van, take it apart:
- An assembled king size ottoman is at least 160 cm wide on the outside (our king ottomans measure 160 to 172 cm), so it will not go through a doorway lying flat.
- The manuals are clear that a bed must never be dragged or pushed across the floor. It has to be lifted, with a second person, or the joints take the strain.
- One manual asks for the bed to be dismantled for transport, and says not to move it while the lift frame is up.
What the manufacturers warn about the gas lift
The lift is a pair of gas struts, also called pistons, mounted on metal arms at each side of the base. The manuals we read carry the same warnings, and they matter even more when the bed is being taken apart than in daily use:
- It is a pressurised mechanism. One manual explains that its pistons are too strong to be moved by hand once they are off the bed.
- Never operate the lift without the mattress on. All five manuals say it. The mattress is part of the weight the struts are made to lift; without it, the frame can spring open.
- If the mattress has to come off, secure the frame first, so it cannot flip open on its own.
- Use both hands, at arm's length, and never pull one side only. Pulling on one corner can damage the base and the lift.
- Keep fingers clear of the arms and hinges while the frame moves, and keep children and pets away from the bed.
- Nobody on the bed or inside the storage while the lift is moving.
Why a strut can be too weak or too strong, and how to read the force printed on it, is covered in our guide to ottoman bed gas struts.
Tools you need, and how many people
| What | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Allen keys | The bolts on the panels, rails and headboard. The manuals we read use 4 mm and 5 mm keys. |
| Spanner | The nuts that hold the lift mechanisms, often lock nuts. The manuals we read supply a 10 mm or 13 mm ring spanner, or an M6 or M8 spanner. |
| Screwdriver | Screws on some panels and fittings. |
| Freezer bags and a marker | One bag of fixings per part, labelled, so reassembly is quick. |
| A second person | To hold the lift frame while you work, and to carry every heavy part. |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
Sizes differ from bed to bed: the keys that came with your bed are the right ones. The manuals we read call for a second person at some stage, whether for carrying the parts, holding the lift frame or putting the mattress on. For timing, they allow 60 to 90 minutes to assemble one, and taking it apart undoes the same fixings.
How to dismantle an ottoman bed, step by step
- Empty the storage and take the bedding off.
- Close the bed and secure the lift frame. If your bed has a safety lock or a locking strap, use it. If not, one person keeps the frame held down.
- Take the mattress off, with two people, while the frame stays secured. Stand the mattress against a wall, out of the way.
- Let the lift frame rise under control. The fixings are usually reached with the frame up. With the mattress gone the struts push harder, so one person holds the frame with both hands and lets it rise slowly to its full height, without letting go on the way up.
- Undo the lift frame from the mechanisms. In the manuals we read, the frame sits on top of the two lift mechanisms and is bolted to them. Your helper supports the frame while you undo the bolts on each side, then you lift it off together.
- Undo the mechanisms from the side rails. Each mechanism, arm and hinge plate with its gas strut, is bolted or screwed to a side rail. Take them off as whole units. Do not try to open, compress or cut a strut: it is under pressure.
- Take off the headboard, if it is bolted to the base.
- Take the base apart: side rails, end panels, then any centre rail, legs or feet, in the reverse order of your manual.
- Bag and label the fixings for each part, and tape each bag to its part.
Assembly order against dismantling order
No manual we read has a dismantling section: they describe assembly only. Dismantling is that sequence run backwards.
| Order | In the assembly manuals | When you dismantle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base panels, rails and legs bolted together | Last: the base comes apart once everything else is off |
| 2 | Lift mechanisms, with their gas struts, fixed to the side rails | Mechanisms off the rails, as whole units |
| 3 | Lift frame placed on the mechanisms and bolted to them | First: the lift frame comes off, held by your helper |
| 4 | Mattress on before the lift is used | Before anything: frame secured, mattress off |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
Is it safe to take the gas struts off yourself?
The manuals we read do not describe removing a strut on its own. They fit the lift mechanisms during assembly and warn that the mechanism is pressurised. So the safe way is the one above: take the lift frame off first, then remove each mechanism as a whole unit, with a helper supporting the frame, and never try to open or compress a strut by hand.
None of the manuals we read says at what position the frame should be when a mechanism comes off. If your bed's own manual covers it, follow it.
How to move the parts
- Carry every part, never drag it. The manuals that mention it are clear: dragging damages the joints.
- Keep each mechanism in one piece, strut and arm together, and pack it where it cannot be knocked or crushed.
- Wrap fabric and wooden panels in blankets or bubble wrap, especially the headboard.
- Measure the new room before you rebuild. An ottoman needs clear space to open, as well as floor space for the frame. Our room check for a king size bed and the king size bed dimensions guide have the figures.
Putting it back together
- Rebuild the base, then fit the headboard if it bolts to the base.
- Fit the two lift mechanisms to the side rails.
- Bolt the lift frame onto the mechanisms, with your helper holding it.
- Put the mattress on before you operate the lift.
- Expect the lift to feel stiff for the first few openings. The manuals describe this as normal; a firm, even push with the mattress in place helps.
Tighten every bolt once the bed is built. If it starts to creak after the move, a loose fixing is often the cause, and our guide on how to stop a squeaky bed goes through each one. If the frame will not stay up, or rises back up after you close it, see the gas strut guide.
Bought your ottoman from us and lost the manual? Email hello@king-size-bed.co.uk with your order number.
Choosing an ottoman that is easy to move
If you move often, the outside size and the weight of the frame matter as much as the style. Every bed in our king size ottoman beds lists its outside size, and so do our super king ottoman beds and double ottoman beds. For a wooden frame, see the wooden ottoman beds. If you would rather have no lift at all, a divan bed with drawers or a storage bed with drawers keeps the storage without the struts.
Questions
Do ottoman bed bases come apart?
Yes, in every manual we read. The base is panels and rails bolted together, the gas lift mechanisms are bolted to the side rails, and the lift frame is bolted on top. It comes apart with the same keys it went together with.
Can you move an ottoman bed without taking it apart?
Within the same room, yes: close it, secure the lift frame, take the mattress off and lift the bed with two people, never dragging it. To take it out of the room, take it apart: an assembled king size ottoman is at least 160 cm wide, and at least one manual asks for the bed to be dismantled for transport.
How to collapse an ottoman bed?
An ottoman does not fold. To make it flat for moving, take the lift frame off its mechanisms, take the mechanisms off the side rails, then unbolt the headboard and the base panels, as in the steps above.
How do I get my ottoman bed down?
With the mattress on, push the lift frame down with both hands at arm's length, evenly, never on one side only. New or refitted struts can be stiff at first, which the manuals describe as normal. If the frame keeps rising back up, the struts are too strong for the weight on them: our gas strut guide explains why.
Is it safe to remove the gas struts from an ottoman bed yourself?
Take each lift mechanism off as a whole unit, with a helper supporting the frame, rather than separating a strut. The manuals warn that the mechanism is pressurised, and none of them describes removing a strut on its own.